Love's Sweet Mysteries
by Ebony Leonhart
Summary: This is a short love story about Rinoa and Squall. Will they ever figure out their complicated relationship? Please read and review! Thanks!


Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Final Fantasy VIII, Squaresoft does. However, I did write this story so I'd please appreciate it if you did not steal this. I'd be really grateful if you'd review. THANKS!!!  
  
Authors Note: Okay, so I just signed up with Fanfiction.net. This is my first official piece of work, so sorry if it's not very good. Let me know if you think I'm on the right track. Have fun reading!  
  
  
Love's Sweet Mysteries  
  
  
The night was cool and dark with the stars in the clear sky. The only star Squall cared about was the one standing in front of him; Rinoa.  
  
They had just saved the world from Ultimecia and were now at a party at Balamb Garden. The two were standing on a balcony looking out into the sparkling ocean ahead of them. It all seemed so perfect. It was almost eerie. Squall wondered if it was all over or just beginning. He wasn't worried about another sorceress threat though. The new beginning he had on his mind was of him and Rinoa.   
  
They were silent for a while, at peace knowing that they didn't have to worry about losing each other. Squall squirmed uncomfortably, not knowing what to say to Rinoa. Rinoa broke the silence by saying, "What do we do now Squall?"  
  
He looked up, confused. He didn't know what she had meant by that. Did she ask him is they should be together? Was he reading too much into a simple question? He often tended to think too much. To avoid looking like an ass by answering the question wrongly he asked her, "What do you mean?"  
  
"So much has happened, you know?" Rinoa said. Squall nodded in response. "I suppose you're going to go back to your old routine, huh?"  
  
Squall was relieved that she wasn't talking about a relationship, but he was also disappointed. "I guess so...How about you?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I might hang out at Balamb Garden a bit if I can. Would that be okay?" Rinoa asked. Her hidden message had been, "Do you want me to stay here with you?"  
  
Squall was overjoyed but wouldn't let Rinoa know it. He always hid his feelings. "Whatever you want to do, " he told her.  
  
Rinoa felt a tinge of anger at that response. Why couldn't he give her a straight answer? Since Squall had made her mad so many times before, he could detect she was mad now. He hated when that happened, especially since it was quite frequent. He knew he had to compensate and added shyly, "I'd really like it if you'd stay though…"  
  
Squall then put an arm around her and Rinoa knew he had been sincere. It made her delighted when he told her that. Her stomach had butterflies and she had an urge to kiss him. She knew that she had feelings for him, strong feelings actually. At first she had denied it, but with times she knew she loved him. Her biggest worry was that Squall might not feel the same way about her. She would be crushed if he didn't. She had to know how he felt.  
  
"Squall?" she asked in a timid voice.  
  
Squall faced her and said "Yes?"  
  
Rinoa opened her mouth, but she was at a loss for words. She had thought this moment over and over in her mind, but nothing could prepare her for this. She just stood there, looking into his baby blue eyes. Squall was puzzled and asked, "Are you okay Rinoa?"  
  
Rinoa felt hypnotized by his dazzling eyes and moved closer to him. She touched his handsome face lightly with her fingertips. They were so close that they could feel each other's breath. Squall ran his hand through Rinoa's soft, jet-black hair and set his other hand on her waist. He moved in still closer until Rinoa's soft lips met his own. Rinoa trembled as they touched and warmth spread throughout her body. They were gentle and slow at first and gradually their kiss became more passionate and sensual. It never lost the gentleness though. They had waited so long for this moment. It was so sweet and perfect. Eventually they had to pull their lips away from each other, as hard as it was. They embraced each other afterward. Rinoa nestled her head in Squall's strong chest and whispered, "Now I'm okay."  
  
Squall smiled and held onto her tighter, never wanting to let go...  



End file.
